Sir H Rider Haggard

Nada the Lily. Sir H Rider Haggard

Nada the Lily is an historical novel by English writer H. Rider Haggard, published in 1892. It is said to be inspired by Haggard's time in South Africa (1875-82). The novel tells the tale of the origin and early life of the hero Umslopogaas, the unacknowledged son of the great Zulu king and general Chaka, and his love for "the most beautiful of Zulu women", Nada the Lily. Chaka was a real king of the Zulus but Umslopogaas was invented by Haggard. He first appeared as an elderly but vigorous warrior in Allan Quatermain (1887). He also appears in the novel She and Allan (1921). Nada the Lily is unusual for a Victorian novel in that its entire cast of characters is South African and black. Nada the Lily features magic and ghosts as part of its plot. There is some anecdotal evidence that Umslopogaas might have been based on an actual person, although not as described in the book. He would have been a Swazi not a Zulu.